The problem of standard setting on language proficiency tests is often approached by the use of norms derived from the group being tested, a process commonly known as "grading on the curve." One particular problem with this ad hoc method of standard setting is that it will usually result in a fluctuating standard dependent on the particular group…

The paper reports a pilot study of 280 entering first grade students to try to identify potential handicaps, giftedness, or other special needs. During the preregistration program Ss were given measures of visual acuity, auditory acuity, and language functioning. Language test data allowed the identification of six profile types for further…

This paper gives an overview of issues related to language assessment of prospective bilingual education teachers who are enrolled in postsecondary institutions. The review indicates that, generally, little has been done on the establishment of entry/exit level criteria for language assessment. Where criteria exist, they are viewed in terms of the…

This paper suggests that one possibility for the lack of study emphasis and unity of understanding in the area of dual language development is that language study in general shows some serious gaps and reveals a need for viewing language development as a holistic endeavor. Noting the failures of Skinnerian theory, Chomskian theory, Soviet…

A survey was conducted of government agencies in order to examine the capacity of the U. S. Government to produce or obtain by contract the research needed to manage relations with the Soviet Union. Four foreign affairs agencies foresee increasing difficulties through the 1980s in recruiting the desired calibre of Soviet language and research…

The Language Facility Test was administered to 48 preschool children in Head Start classes in Ft. Worth, Texas, to determine (1) if the spontaneous production of English speech would be better after the bilingual children were first allowed to perform in Spanish, and (2) if the English language performance of the Mexican-American bilingual…

The three basic language learning models are the rote-memory model (prescriptive), the abilities model (behavioristic), and the critical age model. If this last model, a deterministic one based on observable facts about the human condition, becomes as popular in American schools as it is in British schools, language will become an important aspect…

The Primary Acquisition of Languages Oral Language Dominance Measure (PAL) developed by the El Paso Independent School District determines a child's structural proficiency in English and Spanish and measures language dominance to aid in placing pupils in bilingual programs. PAL consists of four components, including an examiner's manual containing…

The research was conducted in the schools on or near the Crow and the Northern Cheyenne Indian reservations in Montana during October of 1969. All the students, both Indian and white, grades 1 through 12, were involved in the study. Some 2020 Indian students, out of a combined student enrollment of 3626, were assessed as to their bilingual…

This book contains papers and commentaries thereon from the International Seminar on the Description and Measurement of Bilingualism, which was attended by linguists, psychologists and sociologists representative of a wide range of scientific and intellectual insights. Topics covered are: (1) How and when do persons become bilingual? (2) How can…

This paper outlines the Educational Testing Service (ETS) plan for developing instruments and procedures for evaluating Peace Corps Trainees' and Peace Corps Volunteers' competence in host country languages at various stages of training or in-country service. The goals of such an evaluation program are first stated. and then a critique of the…

Boys (n=800) between the ages of seven and twelve were administered 35 problems for three successive years. Each problem was characterized according to its logical structure and language which corresponded to a pictorial presentation, its ordinary verbal language, and its abstract symbols. Each structure was presented in each of the three…

The purpose of this newsletter is to report current activities concerning the study of child language. Each issue will offer reports of ongoing research, announcements of upcoming meetings and conferences and reports on those recently held, and news of recent publications concerning language acquisition. This issue's research report is "Child…

The study ascertained through standardized tests, if a bilingual educational program had an effect on spoken English proficiency of native Spanish speakers in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The sample consisted of 34 fourth grade children enrolled in the Sustained Primary Program for Bilingual Students in the Las Cruces Public School System. The subjects…

The effect of sentence length and syntactic structure on the repeatability of sentences by native and foreign speakers of English was investigated in this study using 18 native English speakers, 30 advanced foreign students, and 114 intermediate level foreign students. Eighty-four sentences were presented for repetition, varying according to word…